Touting him as a man who is “truly in love with the world,” Pulitzer Prize winning author, Tracy Kidder chronicles the life and work of Paul Famer, MD, in his new book, Mountains Beyond Mountains.

Years after meeting Farmer while on a reporting trip in Haiti and being inspired by his work and vision for the world, Kidder chronicles Farmer’s life—from his unique upbringing, his initial pursuit of medicine and his international work treating impoverished nations.

Farmer, division chief and co-founder of the Division of Social Medicine and Inequalities at BWH, has dedicated his life to bringing essential medicine to underdeveloped populations in order to combat disease and prevent senseless deaths. Farmer’s work has primarily been in Haiti, Peru, Cuba and Russia and concentrated on treating patients with diseases such as TB, malaria and AIDS. Not only has he brought necessary medicine and care to these populations, he has also worked tirelessly to fund treatments and continued research, as well as to educate and train other caregivers in these nations.

According to a recent review in The New York Times “if any one person can be given credit for transforming the medical establishment's thinking about health care for the destitute, it is Paul Farmer.”

In addition to his association with BWH, Farmer is a member of Partners In Health and continues to work collaboratively with many well-known international health organizations such as the World Health Organization. He has also been a recipient of many prestigious awards and grants, most notably, the “genius grant” from the MacArthur Foundation in 1993.

“We’re proud to have him as part of the BWH community,” said Victor Dzau, MD, chair of the BWH Department of Medicine. “It’s not everyday you’re fortunate enough to come across such an extraordinary person like Paul Farmer, who has such an altruistic vision.” Kidder is scheduled to be at BWH for a celebratory event of Farmer’s work on December 3 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Details will be announced closer to the event.